How far was the Boer War, 1899-1902, a turning point in the history of the British Empire

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Introduction

How far was the Boer War, 1899-1902, a turning point in the history of the British Empire? (20) The Boer War symbolizes the climax of imperial tensions and excitement of the late 19th century, and can be viewed as a turning point in the history of the Empire, precipitating widespread changes. The first of these is a change in the attitudes towards the ideology of empire; the second is a change in terms of future administration of the empire; and the third is a change in the role of Britain as a dominant world power. The combination of these changes caused the beginnings of a series of transformations concerning the British Empire. The first significant turning point was in terms of attitudes to empire. At the end of the 19th century Britain was experiencing enormous prosperity, characterised by imperial expansion and dominance. Owing to her industrialisation and resulting wealth, Britain became a strong and influential world power, monopolising trade in Africa, India and Asia. Through her 'Open Door' policy in China, Britain controlled 70% of world trade, reaping enormous profits. Moreover, she controlled extremely profitable gold and diamond mining regions in Africa, and capitalised on trade in India which was a source of cheap materials and labour, as well as a huge and profitable market for British goods. Therefore, Britain's imperial position was strong and dominant, causing the attitudes towards empire to be positive, as it was seen as a source of international prestige. ...read more.

Middle

By 1907 the term 'dominion' came to be used to describe all the self-governing areas of the Empire, and an Imperial Conference based on the principle 'one government, one vote', was set up to decide future constitutional disputes within the Empire. Thus, the Boer War caused Britain's control over her colonies to be curtailed, culminating in a situation where the 'dominions' could outvote Britain on issues pertinent to their own position. Thus, the Boer War brought independence and decolonisation a step closer. Furthermore, the Boer War was a turning point in the Empire as it severely decreased British dominance in the African region, owing to the fact that in 1906 the Liberal government restored self-government and free election to the defeated states. Moreover, this can be seen as not only a turning point in empire history but also a turning point in African history as it precipitated the victory of the Afrikaaner Het Volk Party which instigated racial segregation and sewed the seeds for disputes over inequality which followed in later decades. Moreover, by far the most far-reaching effect of the Boer War was the way in which it affected Britain as a world power, causing changes to her foreign and defence policies, as well as aggravating her relations with Germany. The war highlighted her weaknesses, causing her hold on colonies to be weakened and precipitating the emergence of a threat from other powers, notably Germany. ...read more.

Conclusion

The war can be viewed as a catalyst for a series of progressive changes which eventually culminated in the breakdown of the Empire and decolonisation. However, the war was only an ingredient in this, and by no means the sole or primary cause. Moreover, in some respects, the Boer War strengthened and expanded the Empire through increasing its importance in matters of trade and investment, highlighted by an increase of exports and doubling of investments to the Empire. Nevertheless, economic benefits are not fully indicative of the effects of the war. While trade and investment may have increased, there was widespread disillusionment in both political and social circles, and passionate imperialism was replaced by a loss of confidence and interest in the Empire. The war made the empire a source of criticism, rather than pride and prestige. Moreover, the Boer War precipitated a turn-around in attitudes concerning foreign policy and diplomatic relations, resulting in an increased number of military alliances and a re-organisation of the army and navy. In addition, the war set off a series of changes concerning the status of self-governing colonies, eventually resulting in the weakening of British control over her colonies, which can be seen as a precursor for decolonisation. Thus, while it is clear that the Boer War could not have by itself precipitated decolonisation, it triggered a series of events which changed attitudes towards, and administration of, empire. In this respect, it can be seen as a significant turning point in the history of the British Empire. ?? ?? ?? ?? ...read more.

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This is a very strong response that places the Boer War in its political, economic and military context. There is a great deal of accurate evidence used in supporting points. Perhaps the counterarguments could have been considered more strongly.

They used and ridiculed Wilson's hypocritical view of fighting for democracy but still denying the vote to half its citizens as a key argument. They also attempted to justify themselves by saying that 'inferior' races such as African American men had been given the right to vote.

Rhee's inflammatory Rhetoric was often very provocative and possibly inspired many of the border incidents of the late 1950's. In contrast to the insincere south, the North where Kim Il Sung's heavily military orientated government had amassed an army of considerable size and strength appeared to be relatively organised having had several domestic successes.

rights is acceptable because no person should be denied these basic privileges. As long as a war does not injure the innocent and deny other parties these rights, then it should continue and make life worth living for the persecuted people.

Two years my senior, my brother Michael was not seen by my father to be 'that' Atherton. He complained he was too much like my mother, who was German born. When the bombing raids began, the local community disowned my family because of this.

Another government scheme was set up named... 'Women's Land Army' this was were women were recruited as farm workers, to grow crops and vegetables. This would contribute to the war effort. A slogan on a government poster read 'Dig For Victory'. Any other jobs that had been once seen as the male's job had been undertaken by

From 1870 around to 1884, Britain and France had no major problems. For the next two decades Anglo-French relations had colonial rivalry, especially in Africa. Britain and Russia were also hostile; this was usually, due to Russia's activities in the regions bordering India.

Shields had deserted the US army in 1972 after serving for one year in Vietnam. When Shields travelled to the US in 2000, 28 years later, he was arrested and jailed in the state of Washington.7 The discrimination against US army deserters made by the Canadian Government was removed in May of 1969 under the Government of Pierre Trudeau.